


Out of our hands

by stars_inthe_sky



Series: Romcoms [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: #BuckyNat Week, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Bucky Barnes Returns, Gen, Marvel Universe, Protectiveness, Snipers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-18 20:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3582780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stars_inthe_sky/pseuds/stars_inthe_sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A pot of rooibos, a recap, and a realization.</p><p>(Prompt for #buckynat week)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of our hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Querulousgawks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Querulousgawks/gifts).



“Hey,” Natasha says, “I meant to thank you. Did you make enough for two?”

Steve nods and fills a second mug with rooibos tea. “Sure. And you’re welcome…for what?”

“Last week’s army of killer robots? You picked them off around me long enough that I could disable the relay signal, saving both my ass and the world? I know it’s been busy, but come on, Rogers.”

“I remember the army of killer robots,” he says, raising the too-hot cup to his nose to breathe in. “But sorry, that wasn’t me.”

Natasha blinks. “What? That accuracy—no one else was nearly close enough to me to do that. Or uses guns with any regularity, come to think of it.” She tilts her head, inhaling the scent of her own tea. “That’s unnerving. This is a strange team.”

“Well, our team is strange, but it must’ve been one of them. Doesn’t Clint—?“

“Clint had his hands full with the twins. And it definitely wasn’t an Iron Man pulse or one of Thor’s…did someone recruit a secret sniper ally without telling me? Because I’d really like to know about that kind of thing in the future.”

“A what without telling you?”

“Look, if it wasn’t you, it would’ve had to have been an expert-level sniper. The best. Only someone who…oh.” She realizes what she’s saying at the same time he does, and they stare at each other for a long moment. “Steve—”

“Nat, how many people in the world could have made those shots you’re talking about? Without Ultron seeing?”

She closes her eyes and flashes back through the still-raw memory. As loud as if she were still in it, Natasha can hear the crunch of combat and the faint whiz of bullets seeming to bend around her, downing android after android at impossible angles. “Maybe four people. _Maybe_. And it wasn’t Clint, so three. At most.”

“Including…”

“Including. And frankly…I don’t know what Martino or Concepcion would have been doing helping us in the first place.”

“So it actually might have been him,” Steve breathes, his evident relief puffing away the steam from his mug.

Natasha nods, very slowly. “It…it could have been. I mean, what, a dozen perfect shots like that, by someone who moves like a ghost, with an inclination to keep you safe, again, without sticking around…”

“You mean, keeping _you_ safe,” Steve points out. “You said whoever it was pretty much saved your life.”

“Huh,” she murmurs, taking a small sip of tea. A tentative smile blooms on her lips, like a flower through a melting snow bank.

**Author's Note:**

> [querulousgawks](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Querulousgawks/pseuds/Querulousgawks) prompted: a missed connection
> 
> Both [Julia Concepcion](http://marvel.wikia.com/Julia_Concepcion_\(Earth-616\)) and [Jake Martino](http://marvel.wikia.com/Jake_Martino_\(Earth-616\)) are snipers from the comics.
> 
> Also posted [here](http://stars-inthe-sky.tumblr.com/post/114186384705/for-buckynat-a-missed-connection-where-their) on Tumblr. Title from MS MR's "[Dark Doo Wop](https://play.google.com/music/preview/Te2ogixdci5vdyfx7lhnbsacvxm?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics&u=0#)."


End file.
